Birthday Blues

Last weekend, it was birthday of my friend S who recently shifted to Phoenix, Arizona. There was no way I could contact her except through email. Now, I am not particularly great with remembering dates. Well.. The reality is that I do remember birthdays and the ilk of close people. But I dont keep track of days in general and finally end up forgetting to wish the person on that day.

Now, with early alzheimers setting in(!), I forgot which day of March was her b'day. One day suddenly like lightning across the sky, it hit me that her birthday was around the corner or probably already past. Yikes..!! My reflexes immediately reached out to the mobile phone to call another friend A to check up. I got a reassurance from A that things are under control and her b'day was a week later. What a relief! Better to call and check than get into a crib session with S when I touch base with her on a later date. She would then crib and whine about me, her sister, the libran clan of the world, the neighbor, the roadside dog and whoever else she can think of for forgetting to wish her.

There are also some other more 'understanding' friends who'd patiently wait for me to call. Maybe set an internal deadline to see if I remember, after which, they'd call me and tell me that a milestone passed X days ago. And I'd go on a ritual guilt trip to which, they'd give a its-ok-we-know-how-abstracted-you-are type nod. Usual conversation goes this way.
Me: Hey girl..! Whats happening with you?
She: Doing great.. Had a great time last weekend.
Me: Oh? what was that about?
She: Well, it was the day I was born you know. But its ok, as usual, I did not expect you to remember.
*Aww crap!!*

The easiest are friends more like me. The types who dont remember that I forgot to wish them. I, then, breathe easy, maintain a sympathetic look on my face and tell them convincingly that I wished them at x hours y minutes of that day. With an expression like Utpal Dutt in Golmaal when he learns Ramprasad's mother and sister are twins too, they give me the benefit of doubt and save me from a guilt trip. :-)

Now coming back to S, since her bday was on a saturday, I mailed her on friday evening before calling it a week at work. And what do I see when I am back on Monday?!?
She thanked me but outright refused to believe that I remembered to wish on time without seeking external help. Now how did she know that..!!
Poor A, she had reminded me the date but she forgot to wish S on time. She wrote to S pronto on Monday. And as irony and destiny would have it, S cribbed that I must have helped her remember.
Well... life's truly like that..!!